


Of Dreams and Darkness

by StarrySerenades



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dark Aqua (Kingdom Hearts), Disney Castle, F/M, I imagine the night before Mickey left, King Mickey - Freeform, Nightmare, kingdom hearts - Freeform, queen minnie - Freeform, wasn't all rainbows and butterflies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:55:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23951905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarrySerenades/pseuds/StarrySerenades
Summary: After years of scouring the realm of light in vain, the truth of Aqua's fate has begun to worm its way into Mickey's mind and, tethered by guilt and a long-neglected fear of failure, his heart has bred a wealth of darkness on its own.  Endless research has led to but one conclusion--darkness is spreading.  The key to stopping it lies deep within a world he'd once vowed never to enter, and--he believes--within the heart of one who now resides there.  And so, desperate to protect the light of his friends, his world, and his heart, Mickey makes the difficult choice to revive a dark and dangerous search.These are the events of the night that led to his decision, revealing the journey we know was far more than a quest for a forgotten blade.
Relationships: Mickey Mouse/Minnie Mouse (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	Of Dreams and Darkness

Mickey had never been good at standing by. He always had to be moving, always engaged, always doing _something._ And when he was younger, this had been both a fun and mischievous trait. He’d gotten in plenty of trouble for all of the spontaneous, oh-so-tempting shenanigans he was never able to ignore…but in his mind, these were quite necessary. After all, why _shouldn’t_ he be able to try this or that? 

Everything changed for him when that question was answered. A silly, little magic trick, that was all. Just a moment with the Master’s hat. A split second of prideful ambition, and his view of the world had been forever altered. The flood of disaster he’d caused that day was his first glimpse into a world that was not so dazzlingly perfect as he’d once believed. There were emotions swirling in his heart that he’d never truly felt in such a powerful capacity, overwhelming sensations of guilt and fear that he’d never since quite been able to shake. 

And a chilling sense of satisfaction.

_You were so powerful…_

_If you used that power now…_

Mickey blinked a few times and shuddered. He wished more than anything those thoughts would stay quiet and out of sight. But he was older now and they still lingered, if not ten times stronger. Sometimes it felt as though the tide was rising alongside them, lapping at his heels, threatening to grow and drown whatever light remained in his heart.

He suppressed a yawn, rubbed his eyes, and kept writing, hand darting back and forth between his notes and the open map beside him. Quill scratched upon paper again and again as one by one he crossed out the places he’d searched. Nearly the entire piece of parchment had been marked by now and there seemed more ink than free space on the page. He’d scoured every world he knew of within the Realm of Light but every note, every observation led to nothing. Mickey’s tail twitched in frustration and he let out an exasperated groan, banging his head against the desk in frustration. This was useless. The mouse sat in silence for a few moments, secretly cursing the ticking of the clock for interrupting his current thoughts of nothingness. Only…

Mickey lifted his head off the desk just slightly, brow furrowing in confusion. There had never been a clock in this room. And as he listened more closely, a chill ran up his spine. It didn’t sound like ticking at all but rather a gentle, haunting drip.

“ _You won’t find me here in the light…”_ came a hoarse whisper.

He pushed off the table, chair tipping over as he practically vaulted off of it. His breathing doubled and he stumbled backwards on the tile floor, frantically looking for the source of the noise. Keyblade summoned in trembling hands, he shouted into the air.

“Who’s there?”

The second word of that query hardly made it out of his mouth because he’d noticed within a moment of speaking that his feet were now submerged within several inches of frigid water. His heart pounded wildly within his chest but the rest of his body felt chill and numb. He wasn’t sure if this was from the cold, or fear. 

“ _You know where I am,”_ continued the voice.

Mickey whirled around to spot a shadow near where the door should have been. His grip on the keyblade softened and he narrowed his eyes. That figure was familiar. 

“Aqua?”

The shadow was silent for a moment, but when it stepped forward there was no doubt.

Maybe it was fatigue. Maybe the irresistible distraction of what he _wanted_ to see. But all the eeriness of the situation disappeared from Mickey’s head as he ran forward, defenses lowered, ready to embrace his lost friend.

That was a mistake. 

Mickey, overcome with blind relief, noticed far too late the keyblade being drawn. With a sickening _SHINK,_ Aqua thrust it forward and into his heart.

He froze, body going limp as he clutched the rim of the blade. It was only then that he saw her face, golden eyes gleaming with hatred and revenge. Her body dripped as if made of water itself, and the pool around them began to rise faster.

_“See you in the dark,”_ she hissed, pushing the blade deeper and driving him underwater. The icy shock gave him strength to struggle but try as he might, it wasn’t enough to free the blade from his chest or to get his face above water. His vision blurred and the light faded until all but the faintest sliver of a gleam remained.

~~~

“LIGHT!”

The shout tore through the fabric of the nightmare and Mickey jolted awake, body shaking and fur damp with sweat. Remnants of the shattered dream still clouded his sight and an unseen force continued to pin him down. He writhed in its grip, trying to wrench his wrists away.

“Mickey! Mickey, please stop! You’re hurting yourself!”

A soft pink faded into the haze. Mickey breathed, muscles softening, as a far friendlier silhouette came into focus.

“Minnie?”

Her scent washed over him, that of strawberries and mint, bringing with it an overwhelming sense of comfort. Mickey blinked to clear the fog away, and his heart fluttered when he managed to catch her tearful smile. Her fur was far from neat and tears streaked her face but to Mickey, her radiance was more than enough to drive away the shreds of fear still lingering within. She loosened her grip on his wrists and he felt the warmth of her hand intertwined with his, light magic still radiating from her fingers.

“You scared me half to death,” she whispered. 

Mickey, still out of breath, shook his head tiredly. “I’m-I’m okay, honest,” he breathed. “It was just a…” His gaze fell to his right hand linked with Minnie’s and stumbled in his words. While her hand shone with a fiery gleam, Mickey’s was shrouded in shadow, threads of darkness just beginning to fade as Minnie’s light overcame them. “…nightmare.”

Minnie swiftly brought her hands to her chest as if hiding the contrast of her light would stop him from seeing the dark. But it made no difference, the damage had been done. As the scope of Mickey’s vision widened, so did his eyes. The library lay in shambles. Papers and books were strewn about the floor, some torn and others charred. The chair he’d been sitting in was toppled over beside the splintered desk. 

Mickey pushed himself away from her and stood as quickly as his legs would allow, eyes darting back and forth between his trembling hands and the wreckage before him. “My magic did this?” he asked, knowing the answer but dreading it all the same. 

The queen was careful as she spoke, gingerly climbing to her feet. “It’s like you said,” she answered softly, as if speaking to an animal who might spook at the slightest shift in tone. “It was only a nightmare. This wasn’t you.”

The map Mickey had been marking lay on the floor beside where Minnie stood, flooded by a pool of ink. For a moment it was all he could see as dark liquid crept over the few untouched worlds on its surface. But then Minnie took a step towards him, hand outstretched, and he tore his eyes away.

“Don’t!” he shouted, taking several steps backwards. The hurt that flashed across her face tugged at his heart, but fear overwhelmed it all. “I don’t wanna hurt ya,” he added more quietly. 

Minnie opened her mouth but before even a word could escape, Mickey turned on his heels and ran. 

~~~

The stars used to comfort Mickey. They were bright and shining and beautiful, and there was a wish to be had in every one. But now, looking up at the glittering sparks sprawled in the sky above him, only dread filled his heart. All he saw were endless worlds about to fall. 

The mouse had found himself in the palace courtyard, though why his heart had led him there he didn’t know. He wasn’t sure he knew anything about his heart anymore. It hurt, though. He guessed he could be sure of that. 

He sighed and leaned back against the bench, relishing the chill of its metal frame through his fur. Since he’d woken he hadn’t felt anything but the unrelenting heat of emotion. And it was about to flare again.

“You’ve never been very good at hiding.”

Mickey’s tail twitched as he looked towards the voice. He should have known it wouldn’t take Minnie long to find him—an entire castle and she always seemed to know exactly where he’d be. He flashed her a faux smile, too exhausted to try to make it look real. “Guess ya found me,” he chuckled lightly.

“Guess I did.” She sat beside him and lent him a swift kiss on the cheek before he could protest. They were both quiet for a moment, but then her voice lowered and she grabbed his hand. “We…really need to talk about this.”

Mickey glanced at the stack of salvaged papers in her grasp and swallowed nervously, knowing there were secrets there he’d been keeping hidden from her for years. “I don’t even know where to start,” he choaked.

“How about this,” she answered delicately, setting a page of notes in his lap. A scribbled sketch of three wayfinders decorated the margin and a flurry of notes filled the rest of the page, the word “Aqua” clearly written above them. “You told me five years ago you’d stopped looking for Aqua. Why did you lie?”

“Well, I didn’t exactly lie,” Mickey countered, only to catch a warning glare. “No, honest! I mean, I did stop…for a while.”

Minnie raised her brow in suspicion and Mickey watched as she turned, fiddling with the bow on her nightgown as she contemplated his answer. “What made you start again? Did you find a clue to where she might be?”

_You know where I am._

The nightmare echoed in Mickey’s head and he shuddered. “Something like that,” he murmured hoarsely, looking down at his hands as if they might burst forth with darkness at any moment.

“Look up at the sky, Min,” he told her at last. “The stars are goin’ out. Those worlds are fallin to darkness…just like yours did. And I…well, I-“

“You’re worried you might be falling with them,” she interrupted. Her eyes, flooded with love and worry, stared into his. 

“How did you..?”

“You know, every now and then I do live up to my name,” she said matter-of-factly. Then her too-serious expression faltered. “Also, you wrote it down here.” She patted the papers on her lap and smiled. But the humor didn’t last long, and that smile soon faded into a worried frown “I’m worried about you, Mickey. I only read bits and pieces but what I saw scared me…”

“And that’s why I’ve gotta do somethin’ about it, Minnie!” Mickey suddenly burst in. “I’m scared of what happens if I just sit by like last time. I’ve…I’ve got darkness in me. You saw it just now. I can’t stick around to see what happens if it grows.”

And then he realized why he’d come to the courtyard. His gaze fell past Minnie to the castle-shaped topiary just behind her, the place he’d so often tread in coming and going from this world. He only stared for a moment, but when he looked back into Minnie’s eyes he could tell she’d noticed. Mickey expected some sort of argument from her but instead she just looked away and lowered her head, breathing into the chilly night air. 

After a few quiet minutes, she swiftly stood and turned to him, offering her hand. “Come to bed with me,” she said quietly, voice breaking. Mickey’s heart fell as he saw the tears welling in her eyes. She knew what he planned to do. Part of him wanted to explain everything. To promise her he’d be okay, or to tell her he could stay here forever. But he couldn’t guarantee any of those things would be true.

“Okay,” he answered softly.

Mickey didn’t sleep that night, choosing instead to cherish with every moment the warmth of the heart beside him. He held Minnie tight, running his hands through her fur as she cried into his chest, their tails entwined, both knowing this night could well be their last together.

“Promise me something,” Minnie murmured through scattered sobs at some point in the night,

“Anything.”

“Find someone to show you the road to dawn.”

It was a request so strange and so quiet that Mickey wondered if she was fully awake, or if it was simply a query born of heartbroken fatigue.

“I promise,” he whispered in her ear, though he would wonder what she meant by that for months. 

It was several hours before sunrise when Minnie’s fatigue finally won her over. And it was then and only then that Mickey’s tears came flooding too, heart shaken by a fear and pain he would never be able to describe. But when the first threads of light peered through their window, he left his queen with a final, gentle kiss, and vanished into the velvet sky.


End file.
